Car-signal.



No. 852,282. PATENTED APR. so, 1907. P. n. MILLOY.

GAR SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1903. nnmzwsn SEPT. 24, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ill

PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

P. D. MILLOY.

CAR SIGNAL.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. a. 1903. RENEWED SEPT. 24. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

{UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER D. MILLOY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CAR-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April ,30, 1907.

Application filed November 9, 1903. Renewed September 24, 1906. SerialNo. 835,995-

rear end signal to be displayed at the rear end of acar or train at eachstop so that it may be readily seen by the motorman of an approachingcar or train, and thereby reduce the number of rear end collisions. Thecars or trains on which these signals are used are generally equippedwith air brakes and my object is to utilize the same power whichoperates the brakes to actuate the signal so that the act of stoppingthe car causes a danger signal to be simultaneously and automaticallydisplayed at the rear of the car or train. In the present showing thisis done by compressed air, but in some instances where the brakes areoperated electrically or mechanically it may be necessary to providecorresponding electrical or mechanical connections between the brake andsignal whereby both may be operated simultaneously and which iscontemplated in this invention.

Other objects will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-'Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a carshowing an air brake and my improved signal as mounted upon the car.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the detached signaling apparatus. Figs.3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively on lines 3-3, Fig. 1 and44, Fig. 2. Figs. 5

and 6 are perspective views of the movable and fixed sectionsrespectively of the signal device seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a sectionalView taken on line 7-7,Fig. 1. Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views of thevalve in different positions for controlling the flow of compressed airto the brake and signal cylinders. Similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

This signaling device is particularly useful on street cars in largecities Where it is necessary to run the cars at high speed and closetogether, and owing to the .fact that it is frequently necessary to stopthese cars on short car is warned of such stop or slow down so that hemay check or stop his own car in time to prevent a collision. The signalis, therefore, mounted in plain view upon the extreme rear end of thecar, as for instance on a dash-board d and is here shown as comprising afixed section or bracket 1 and a rotary or rocking section 2. The fixedsection -l is secured by suitable rivets or 65 bolts to the dash a andis formed with a flat upper horizontal face 3 and a vertical opening orbearing 4 to receive and support the rotary section 2, and is alsoformed with a horizontal guide opening 5 70 and a laterally projectingcylinder 6 which receives a toothed rack 7 and piston 8- for operatingthe movable section 2. This movable section 2 preferably consists ofsubstantially a fiat horizontal head 9 having a cylindrical dependingspindle 10 and an upwardly projecting central stud ll of angular crosssection for receiving a removable bulls-eye lamp 12 when desired, saidhead being also provided with a depending circular toothed segment 13which meshes with the rack 7 and whereby rotary motion is imparted fromthe reciprocatory rack 7 to the section 2.

The spindle 10 is journaled in and projects through the opening 4 andthe upper face of the fixed section 1 1s formed with an annular grooveor ball race 14- which is concentric with the spindle 10 and receivessuitable antifriction balls 15 upon which the lower face of the movablesection 2 rests. The lower end of the spindle is rovided with aremovable cotter key 10 or holding the removable section from upwarddisplacement. The head 9 is provided with vertical walls 16 and 17-which are disposed at substantially right angles to each other and theirouter faces are colored in diflerent colors, such as green and red, thegreen sidebeing normally exposed to the rear to indicate that the car ismoving while the red signal is normally at one side out of sight of thefollowing car and is only brought into osition facing the following carwhen the rake is a plied in a manner hereinafter de; scribed. nasmuch asthese colored walls are only visible in daylight a bulls-eye lamp noticeand at short irregular intervals it becomes imperative that someprovislon be I made whereby the motorman of a following 12 is employedat night and is removably 1 10 supported u on the angular stud -11 torotate w1th t e section 2 and is provided with red and green lightsfacing respectively the red and green sides ofthe head 9-.

The piston 8' and its toothed rack 7 are secured to each other and areheld in their normal ositions by a spring 18 which is located in thecylinder 6 with one end bearing against the piston head and its otherend against an annular shoulder 19 at the inner end of the cylinder.

The outer end of the cylinder is formed with an air inlet opening 20which is connected by a conduit 21 to a com pressed air reservoir 22 sothat when the compressed air is admitted to the cylinder it actuates thepiston inwardly against the action of the spring 18 to rock the section2 a quarter turn to dis lay the red or danger signal at the rear an ,assoon as the air pressure is released the spring 18 returns the piston 8and section 2- to their normal positions.

In order that the simultaneous action of the signal and brake may beclearly understood I have shown an ordinary air brake mechanismcomprising a cylinder 23 in which is movable a suitable piston, thelatter being connected in the usual manner to operate suitable brakeshoes 24. This cylinder 23 is also connected by a conduit 25 to thereservoir 22 and also to the conduit 21 and at the junction of theseconduits is provided a three-way valve of such construction that whenturned in one direction the compressed air will flow simultaneously fromthe reservoir 22 to both cylinders 6- and 23 to actuate the air brakeand signal and when returned to its normal position the air will be cutoff from the reservoir and the compressed air in the cylinders will bereleased. This form of valve is shown in Figs. 1, 8 and 9, in which thevalve case is provided with passages 26, 27 and 28 leading respectivelyto the reservoir and to the conduits -25 and 21, and with a vent -29opening to atmosphere while the valve is formed with a straight way 30and a right angle branch 31 so that when the valve is in the normalposition seen in Fig. 9, theconduits 21 and 25 open to atmosphere, andthe reservoir is cut-out, and in the operative position seen in Fig. 8the vent is closed and the conduits communicate with the reservoir. Itis now seen that by operating a lever 32 to turn the valve from itsnormal position the air flows from the reservoir through both conduits21 and 25 and into the cylinders 6- and 23 and that, therefore, thedanger signal is dis layed simultaneously with the operation 0? thebrake and that as soon as the valve is returned the reservoir is cut outand the vent is opened to relieve the air pressure from the cylinderspermit their respective pistons to return td their normal positions.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s 1. A rear end car signal comprising a bracket securedto the car and provided with. a vertical bearing and a horizontal guideopening, a cylinder secured to the bracket at one side of said bearingand opening into the guide opening, a signal head j ournaled on thebearing, a piston movable in the cylinder and operatively connected torock the signal head, and means for introducing compressed air into thecylinder to operate the iston.

2. A signal for the pur ose descri ed comprising a fixed bracket liaving a horizontal guide opening and a horizontal cylinder secured tothe bracket and opening into said guide-opening, a toothed rack movableendwise in the cylinder and guide-opening and provided with a piston, arocking signal head mounted directly on the bracket and provided with atoothed segment meshing with the rack, and means for introducing airunder pressure to the cylinder to actuate the piston and rack. I

3. A rear end signal for cars, comprising a bracket secured to the carand provided with a vertical bearing and a horizontal guide opening atone side of the bearing, a toothed rack sliding endwise in the guideopening, a signal head journaled directly upon the bracket and providedwith a toothed segment projecting into said guide opening and meshingwith the rack, a cylinder, a piston on one end of the rack operated bycompressed air and means to supply compressed air to the cylinder.

4. The combination with an air brake cylinder for railway cars, of abracket fixed to the 1 ing from the iston into the guide opening and asignal hea journaled directly on the bearing and operatively connectedto and rocked by the piston rod.

5'. The combination with an air-brake cylinder of a railway car, of anautomatic signal comprising a bracketsecured to the car and rovided witha 'vertlcal bearmg and with a horizontal guide opening at one side ofthe bearing, a cylinder secured directly to the bracket in alinementwith the guide opening, a reservoir containing compressed air connectedto said cylinders, a signal head journaled in the vertical bearing andoverlying the guide opening, said head being provided with a toothedsegment projectin into said guide-opening, a toothed rack gui ed in saidguide-opening and a piston movable in the cylinder and actuated by theinfiowing compressed air, said rack being attached to the piston and-meshing with the-toothed segment.

6. A car signal for the purpose described, comprising a fixed brackethaving a guideopening and a rotary signal head mounted directly u on theupper end of the bracket,

the signal ead being provided witha toothed segment projecting into saidopening at one

